In Chicago, A Violent Start To The Weekend Leaves 22 Victims

Name tags hang on a chain-link fence at the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago to represent the people who are victims of violence.

Jim Young
/ Reuters/Landov

Originally published on June 8, 2014 10:48 am

Chicago had another rough few days this weekend: By the Chicago Tribune's count, at least 19 were wounded and three were killed in shootings that spanned the city from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning.

The Tribune reports that two police officers were also hurt during two of the shootings.

"The violence stretched from Rogers Park to as far south as 93rd Street and into the Austin neighborhood on the western edge of the city," the Tribune reports.

The big picture here is that Chicago has been besieged by gun violence for years now. Remember, that was highlighted after the killing 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who made it into President Obama's State of the Union speech.

"In 2013, at least 412 Chicagoans lost their lives violently — about 100 fewer than a year ago. That's more than those murdered in New York, and more than Los Angeles. But a Yale University analysis says that despite Chicago's grim numbers, the city's crime rate is not exceptional when compared with other large cities. It ranks Chicago 19th, with violent crime levels similar to those of Houston or Minneapolis, and half that of Detroit or St. Louis."